Friday, September 17, 2010

White vs Price 3-White is Projecting

James White wants an answer to the following question: Why won't Robert Price allow the text of the Bible to be consistent? Why is he man handling the text in order to create inconsistencies? For instance Price regards the statement "Take up your cross and follow me" to be an anachronism. It makes sense as a post crucifixion saying. People would know that it means to be like Christ in that you are willing to do the difficult, but right thing only if they know that Christ did the difficult and right thing by being crucified. But it doesn't make much sense to people prior to the crucifixion because they are unaware that Christ suffered this fate.

Why is it impossible for Jesus to have said that prior to the crucifixion, asks James White? They know what a crucifixion is. Why must Price force the text into a contradictory grid.

Whatever you may think of the merits of the argument related to "taking up the cross", the fact remains. The person that is unwilling to let the text be what it is is James White. Robert Price doesn't dismiss all harmonizations of Scripture. In fact he gave a couple of excellent examples showing that where sometimes atheists have thought contradictions existed he showed them that in fact there was no contradiction. Price does not need to make everything in the text a contradiction.

But guess who it is that needs to make everything in the text harmonious? James White and all the inerrantist harmonizers. Did Judas fall head long and have his guts spew all over the rocks or did he hang himself? Both, say the harmonizers. Did Mary return from the tomb having met Jesus and clasped his feet, or did she return without seeing him and say "They've taken my Lord and I don't know where they've lain him. They've stolen the body." Both, say the harmonizers. Gleason Archer tells us that she just forgot amidst all the excitement.

"Let Matthew be Matthew" James White told Robert Price. We are letting Matthew be Matthew. You are the one that refuses to let Matthew be Matthew. You are the one that won't let Matthew sometimes be mistaken, like we allow for all other humans that have written books. You are the one forcing the text into a pre-conceived harmonious grid, which is something you do with no other text. You are imposing your own flaws on to us, but we are not guilty of this charge. You are.

About me

Raised as an evangelical, biblical inerrantist and political right winger I became an atheist and finally left winger later in life. I love to argue since I believe argument is what helped turn my former false beliefs into true ones, and that's been good for me. This blog is kind of a place for me to collect resources that justify my beliefs and also to continue to have arguments that refine and improve my views.